


A Letter from Gabe

by tchrgleek



Category: Glee
Genre: Community: kbl-reversebang, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-09
Updated: 2013-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-18 07:18:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/877114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tchrgleek/pseuds/tchrgleek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt is minding his own business, raising his son in New York, when a new florist turns his life inside out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

_“I really don’t want you to go, Sam. I’m afraid I’ll have to have this baby by myself.”_

_“Baby, don’t be afraid. Kurt promised he’d be there for you if I can’t get another leave. And you know I’ll try.”_

_The train whistle blew as the announcement came over the loudspeaker: “_ **Final boarding call for 9:00 am departure to Atlanta, Georgia. All aboard _._** _”_

_“This is it, Brittany. I have to go.” Tearfully, Sam leaned in to kiss his girlfriend, then rested his forehead against hers. “Take care of that sweet baby of ours. I’ll be home as soon as I can. I love you.”_

_“I love you, too,” Brittany whispered back. “I love you, too.”_

***

When Kurt’s cell phone went off at 5:45 in the morning that Thursday, through the exhausted fog in his brain he knew it would have to be one of two things, neither of which were good news for him: Either Brittany had gone into early labor and he was going to have to step in for Sam, or something had happened to his dad, whose health had been declining as of late.

He never could have expected what was actually on the other end of the phone: Finn, his stepbrother, telling him how there had been a firefight, and an IED blew up a convoy, and Sam was in the middle of it all, and now Brittany had to be told, and would Kurt please do the telling because if he didn’t, Brittany would be all alone when she found out, and wouldn’t that be tragic, even more tragic than it already was. Kurt’s head was spinning. His mind was reeling and even though he knew what he was trying to say, “ _Too many words, Finn. Take a deep breath and start over,”_ he couldn’t get his mouth to form the words.

“Kurt, are you there? Kurt?”

Kurt took a deep breath, shook his head, and tried desperately to focus. “I’m here, I think. Yeah. Okay. What should I do?”

“Weren’t you paying attention? Sam is _dead_ , Kurt. He put this down as his permanent address, so they came here to tell us. He’s dead, and someone has to tell Brittany. Isn’t she in New York with you and Rach?”

“Not exactly.” Kurt shook his head to clear it. “She and Rachel went out with some friends to their place on Long Island to have a girls’ week. I have shows all weekend, so I was going to join them Monday and we would all come back together on Tuesday. Sam is supposed to come home next week. Brittany wants to look beautiful for him. Oh God, I have to tell her he’s not coming home.”

“Are you okay, little brother?”

“No, Finn, of course I’m not okay,” Kurt snapped, rubbing at his tired eyes. “But I will be. I have to be.”

Kurt managed to roll out of bed and stumble into the shower after he hung up the phone, spending his time trying to figure out how on earth to get out to where the girls were this early in the morning, who he needed to call to get out of the show for the rest of the weekend, and how exactly he was supposed to tell Brittany that the father of her unborn child wasn’t coming home like he’d promised.

 

Telling Brittany that Sam was gone was actually the easiest part of Kurt’s day. After the telling came the crying. So many tears poured from all three of them. Rachel and Brittany clung to Kurt as if he had all the answers, yet he felt incapable of doing anything but being afraid of the future. When he had promised Sam he would step in for him if he couldn’t get home in time for the baby’s birth, he had had no intention of actually _having_ to attend the birth of Brittany’s child. Sam had promised, _promised_ that he would be home in time. He’d already worked things out. Kurt had only said he’d be there because Brittany needed that extra layer of reassurance that there was no chance at all she’d have to give birth alone. Now, Kurt felt stuck. He owed it to them to be there in Sam’s place, right? _Oh God, what did I get myself into?_  

 

It wasn’t long after they all returned to Kurt and Rachel’s apartment in Brooklyn that Brittany went into labor. The baby came a little earlier than expected, quite possibly due to all the stress Brittany was under. Since she and Sam hadn’t gotten married, she had no claim to his death benefits or any health insurance for the delivery, and to at least cover the cost of the baby’s care, Kurt’s name ended up on the birth certificate. When it was time to bring Brittany and her son home, they set up a nursery in one corner of the apartment and it soon became the four of them; an unusual, but mostly happy family.

 

Brittany did her absolute best with her son. She named him Gabriel Evans Hummel, because his daddy was an angel, now, so his son should have an angel name. She loved him unconditionally. Nevertheless, Kurt and Rachel found themselves shouldering much of the responsibility of caring for him because Brittany’s random jobs around town made day care nearly impossible. Since Kurt and Rachel both worked more evenings and weekends, they took up the slack during the days. Kurt fell in love with the little boy more and more as he grew, and by the time Gabriel was nine months old, Kurt found his heart melting completely when Gabriel reached up to him saying “Da-da-da-da-da”. At that moment, Kurt knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would do anything for that little boy.

 

Rachel moved out of the chorus of her production and into the role of Eponine in _Les Miserables_ when Gabriel turned ten months. By the time he reached eleven months, she’d found her own apartment and moved out of their little family. Without Rachel around during the days with him, Kurt became Gabriel’s primary caregiver. Brittany ended up finding a well-paying job dancing with steady hours just before Gabe turned one. Too bad those steady hours were two to midnight, Thursday through Sunday–Kurt didn’t have the heart to kill her joy when she was so excited to be dancing again, so he requested a change at the theater. He hadn’t been able to get out of the ensemble of any production he’d ever been cast in; there just wasn’t a huge call for countertenors on Broadway. Kurt found the costuming of the shows just as fascinating as singing in them, sometimes even more so, and had actually worked with the costume designers on two of the shows he’d been in. The director was happy to help when Kurt explained the situation, and the next thing he knew, Kurt had a nine-to-five job working in the costume shop of a Broadway theater company, day care for his son two days a week, and all was right in the world.

 

All was right, that is, until Brittany came home from work when Gabriel was eighteen months old, beyond excited because a touring company manager had seen her dance and offered her a spot dancing back up for Beyonce.

“I couldn’t say no, Kurt! Beyonce? This could be my big break, you know?” Brittany was so excited she was ready to jump out of her skin.

“No, I guess you couldn’t,” Kurt acknowledged. “Will they let you have your own room? Will you be able to bring along a tutor for Gabe?”

“Gabe? Why would I bring a tutor for him? He lives here.” Brittany looked completely confused. “This is his home, Kurt. I couldn’t take him away from home.”

Now Kurt was the one that looked confused. “But you’re his mother, Brittany. Aren’t you going to miss him?”

“Of course, silly, but I know you’ll take good care of him while I’m gone. It’s just four months. Then I’ll be back and things will be normal again.”

_Normal?_ thought Kurt. _Nothing about us will ever be normal, Brit._

 

By the time Gabriel turned two, Kurt was his sole parent. Brittany’s dancing career had taken off and she was all over the country dancing backup for the hottest celebrities, never staying in the same city for more than a week. Kurt was content with his life, bringing his son to day care each morning, designing and making costumes for the latest shows all day, coming home to their Brooklyn apartment in the evenings, playing and singing with Gabriel until bedtime, cleaning up each evening and getting up to start all over again the next morning. 

 

 


	2. Letter from Gabe, part 2

_“Daddy, why don’t I live with two parents like Joseph and Emily? Emily has two mommies, and Joseph has a mommy and a daddy. Most of the kids in my class have two parents, Daddy. Why don’t I?”_

_“Well, Gabe, you know you have a mommy that loves you. She just works far away from here.”_

_“When she comes back, will she live with us then?”_

_“I don’t know, honey. Let’s get some dinner and get started on those math facts, okay?”_

_“Okay, Daddy. Whatcha’ cookin’?”_

Each morning, Kurt Hummel awakens to his six-year-old son’s small form sliding under the covers with him at 6:00 AM for his daily cuddles. They stay together, huddled in the warmth of their body heat in Kurt’s big bed for an hour until they have to get up to prepare for the day. Gabriel is in the habit of taking a shower with his dad every morning, which Kurt never minds. They sing silly songs together while they share the shampoo and the body wash, songs like “Rubber Ducky”, “5 Little Speckled Frogs”, and “Down by the Bay.” When they get out of their shower, Gabriel seems to love it most when Kurt wraps him in his arms and plays rub-a-dub over his towel. They share the mirror and the moisturizer while they prepare and get dressed, and then they sit down together for breakfast at 7:30 sharp.  During the week, they never have time for fancy breakfasts like waffles or pancakes, but Kurt always says those are for Sunday brunch, anyway. Gabriel begs for the fruity circles his mama used to let him eat when she’d visit, but now that she has gone away, Kurt only lets him eat healthy choices, so he gets Cheerios or Chex or whatever else is on sale at the grocery store that week.

By 8:30, Gabriel is at school and Kurt is off to work at the costume shop. With his meticulous attention to detail and the high quality of his work, it hadn’t taken him long to get promoted to head designer and for word to spread to the other directors in town.  
His work day is never predictable. If the show he has been working on is in production, he might have meetings with designers, multiple fittings with actors, or he might be supervising the people that work for him in the shop, seeking out and buying fabrics, or making one of the dozens of sketches and drawings he will need to produce to show the director and the actors his ideas for the costumes. If the show has gone on to the performance stage, he is often found running back and forth from the costume shop to the theater, making sure everything will be in perfect form for that day’s performances. He takes pride in what he does, and it shows, since he has been nominated for two Tony awards already at the age of 28.

Once a month or so, Kurt makes sure to have lunch with Rachel, who is still in her secondary role in the same show. Despite 5 years of dedication and hard work, the lead actress—“ _She’s unbearable, Kurt. Absolutely unbearable.”—_ hasn’t decided to leave and Rachel is too stubborn— _scared_ –to give up a permanent paycheck as Eponine to go for another role in a show that might not take off. It doesn’t bother Kurt too much to sit around and listen to her whine once a month. She is still on call as a babysitter when he needs her—although since they have opposite schedules, he can really only call her when the theater is dark, so it doesn’t usually work out–and she is the closest thing he has to a best friend.

Regardless of how busy his day is or how much work he has to do, Kurt picks up his son from the after school program every day at 5:00 PM like clockwork. It doesn’t matter how many costume emergencies come across his path in an afternoon, he leaves it all behind him to focus on his number one priority, his angel, his Gabriel. They make it home fifteen minutes later, where Kurt cooks their dinner, helps Gabe with his homework, and then they play together all evening until he tucks his son into bed, cleans up the apartment, collapses into bed and sleeps until their day repeats itself the next morning.

Every so often, Kurt remembers having had dreams of his future that looked so different from his current life: dreams of starring roles and limousines, penthouses, and lovers.  Kurt can’t remember the last time he went out on an actual date. Working in the Broadway machine, he has ample opportunity to meet other gay men, but as soon as they find out about his son, they go their own way. The idea of an instant family is apparently not appealing to the twenty-something gay man in New York City, but Kurt doesn’t mind that so much. He is comfortable doing what he does, and he adores his little boy, who loves him more than any man possibly could.  He isn’t sure how he would fit another person into the world they have built together.

Even so, he every so often he wonders what it would be like to have another person to cuddle up to at night, one more his own size. His wonderings don’t go much farther than that, since he hasn’t had the opportunity to even kiss another man in over six years. The last time he went farther than a kiss was a hurried hand job in the back room of a club right after he’d turned twenty-one.  Beyond that, he’s had almost no experience with anything but his own hand.

Kurt fills the romance void by buying himself a bouquet of flowers each week to keep on the dining room table. He and Gabe stop by a flower shop or a bodega every Friday on their way home to choose the flowers that will beautify their home for the next week. Gabe prefers the bodegas, because he can sometimes talk Kurt into buying him a candy bar or fruit juice if it has been a good week.  Kurt prefers the flower shops because they have a better selection of bouquets with fresher flowers. There is one store in particular that he loves stopping in: Ariston’s. The older lady that runs the place is kind to him and Gabe, though it has been a while since they had gone to the flower shop–Gabe’s sweet tooth, and Kurt’s, have won for several months’ worth of Fridays.

 

 

 


	3. Letter from Gabe, part 3

_“Why are you so sad, Daddy?”_

_“Remember how I told you that another daddy helped put you in mommy’s tummy? That he died before you were born and that’s why I’m your daddy now?”_

_“Yeah. I’m sorry your friend died, Daddy, but I’m really glad you’re my daddy!”_

_“I’m glad I’m your daddy, too, Gabe. It’s just that Sam, your other daddy, he died a few days before you were born. Your birthday is a very happy day, isn’t it?”_

_“Of course, and it’s just next week! Oh, wait. Your friend’s deathday—is that what you call it? The day someone is born is their birthday, so the day they die should be called their deathday, right?—must be soon then, huh?”_

_“That’s right, sweetie. It’s tomorrow.”_

_“Maybe we should buy extra special flowers on the way home tomorrow, then Daddy. For Sam.”_

On the anniversary of Sam’s death, Kurt wakes up early with a melancholy feeling sitting heavily in his stomach.

He can’t stop thinking about the whirlwind his life became after Finn’s phone call. As much as he loves his son and his life, he wonders if Gabe would have been better off with Sam and Brittany together as parents instead of living this one-sided, patched-together life that Kurt can provide for him. Kurt remembers what it was like for him after his mother died. He was older than Gabe, of course, and had solid memories of his mother, but Kurt wonders if Gabe feels the same sort of emptiness inside when he thinks of his other daddy or his mommy, who is only a picture on a computer screen once or twice a month when their schedules coincide enough to allow a Skype date. Kurt loves his dad, so much, and will never not appreciate everything Burt did for him growing up in Ohio, but there is always a piece of him that misses his mom.  
Kurt will never be able to provide a mom figure for Gabe. Even if he were interested in dating, he is only interested in men. Brittany may decide to return one day, but even if she did, Kurt would retain primary custody of Gabe. They had already talked that through when she took her second national tour: Kurt would only agree to let her go for two more years if she signed the paperwork giving him sole custody of Gabe. Everything was too hard without that paperwork—he couldn’t even enroll Gabriel in school without three faxes back and forth until he had that magic piece of paper. Brittany will always be a part of their lives, but Kurt gets to make all the decisions by himself.

Before Kurt can get too far into his funk, Gabriel comes into his room for their morning snuggles. Kurt sighs and rolls over to spoon his little angel boy.

“Are you okay, Daddy?”

_Why does he have to be so damn perceptive all the time?_ “Yeah, bud, I’m okay.”

“Then why are you already awake? You always stay sleeping until I come get you,” observed Gabe, “but today you’re awake already and you made that huffy noise you sometimes make when you’re thinking too hard about something.”

Kurt sighs again.

“That one, Daddy! That’s the noise!”

“Gabriel, I’m fine. I’m just thinking about my friend Sam.”

“Oh, that’s right! We’re picking up some special flowers for him today. Right, Daddy?”

“That’s right, bud. We’ll go see Mrs. Ariston and find something extra special. How does that sound?”

“Perfect. Now let’s cuddle!”

Kurt pulls up the covers over Gabe’s head as they giggle together before they start their usual routine.

Kurt’s day at work is just as hectic as ever. There are divas who overate and need their costumes let out _now, now, now._ There are set designers who need to compare with the costume designs _now, now, now._ There are seamstresses who need patterns _now, now, now._ There is only so much of Kurt to go around, and he can’t split himself sixteen different ways. People are just going to have to wait, but of course, everyone thinks it should be someone else waiting.

By noon, Kurt is ready to pull the door to his office shut and lock it so he can have a minute to himself to think. Instead, he grabs another cup of coffee and decides to skip his lunch today to see how much more he can get done. He is determined to get out on time or early to keep his promise to his son.

At 4:30 PM, Kurt decides he’s had enough. There is nothing left on his to do list that can’t get done tomorrow, and there is also nothing left on the list that he can finish in under half an hour, so he grabs his jacket and hat and sets off to pick Gabe up a little early.

While Kurt and Gabe are walking together to the flower shop, Gabe is asking questions a mile a minute with Kurt trying to finish answering one before the next one starts, and being only marginally successful. When they finally arrive at Ariston’s flower shop, Kurt’s mind is reeling and he can’t even remember how they got there.

Mrs. Ariston isn’t behind the counter like she usually is. Instead, there is a handsome young man with thick black hair, slicked back with gel into something that resembles a Ken-doll hairstyle from the fifties. He looks up with a brilliant smile as the bell rings when the door opens. The first thing Kurt notices are the laugh lines at the corners of the man’s gorgeous, hazel eyes. The second thing Kurt notices are the eyes themselves. Underneath thick, lush lashes, contained in a circle of black, are rich, mahogany brown fireworks with glints of amber and green around the edges. They might possibly be the most beautiful eyes Kurt has ever seen, and Kurt finds himself tongue-tied as he tries to understand both the things his son is saying and what those eyes are doing in place of Mrs. Ariston—and what exactly he is supposed to be doing here, because he’s completely forgotten what his mission is at this exact moment in time.

Kurt’s train of thought gets back on track when Gabe starts pulling on his arm, leading him over towards the prearranged bouquets. “Daddy, Daddy. Come on, over here! These are so beautiful, aren’t they?”

 “Which one should we get for Sam, Daddy? What kind of flowers did he like?”

Caught by surprise, Kurt stops to think for a moment before answering. “You know, Gabe, I’m not really sure. Sam and I never talked about flowers together. I don’t know if he even had a favorite.”

“Then what kinds of flowers remind you of him?”

“Hmmm. That’s a good question. I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Maybe we can ask the man behind the counter what to get, then!” suggests Gabe, and begins walking back towards the man with the gorgeous eyes.

As Kurt turns back to follow his son, he realizes that those eyes are trained on them, and the man is smiling at them both as he asks, “What can I do for you folks today?”

Gabe smiles back at the man and declares, “We’d like to buy a great big, special bouquet for my other daddy, Sam.”

The man smiles and replies, “That sounds like a great idea! Do you have any ideas what you’d like to give him?”

Gabriel frowned at the question and looked up at Kurt before looking back to the man and replying, “We won’t get to give it to him. He died a long time ago in a war. His deathday is today and Daddy is sad, which makes me sad, so we thought flowers might cheer us up!” At that, Gabriel’s face lights up with his boyish grin again.

“Well, young sir, I think you might be right. Wait right here and I’ll be right back!”

The man disappears into the back room. When he returns, after fifteen minutes of Kurt listening to Gabe tell more stories about his friends, the man is carrying a large, amethyst-purple vase filled with several kinds of pink and purple flowers.

“Here you go, gentlemen. Stargazer lilies symbolizing honor, blue iris meaning courage and admiration, sprinkled with a few fuchsia gerbera daisies, which mean cheerfulness and beauty.” He looked up at Kurt. “It sounds like your husband was a courageous man. I hope this helps bring some cheer into your life on a tough day.”

Kurt blushes a bit before replying. “Thank you so much, but Sam and I weren’t married. He was just a very good friend of mine.” Kurt breathes in the overwhelming fragrance of the lilies. “These are beautiful. Truly, beautiful. How much do we owe you?”

“For you, on such a tough day? Ten dollars should cover it,” replies the man.

“What? Ten dollars won’t even cover the price of that vase!” Kurt counters.

The man smiles gently. “Make it up to me by coming back sometime, then.”

Kurt hands the man a ten dollar bill from his wallet and says, “I’ll do that. Thank you,” before taking Gabriel by the hand and cradling the vase in his other arm. “Let’s go, Gabe. We’ll be late for dinner.”

Kurt and Gabe spend the rest of their evening in their usual routine: eating dinner, playing together, reading together, and going to bed as normal. The only differences in their night are the glances Kurt keeps sending towards the beautiful bouquet and the aroma of lilies that permeates the apartment. As Kurt drifts off to sleep that night, the smell is comforting as it wraps around him and fills his mind with peace and security.


	4. Letter from Gabe, part 4

_“You gotta take a break sometime, Kurt. Come home for a week and let me see my grandson.”_

_“Dad, you know I can’t take that kind of time off work. I don’t get vacation time at this time of year.”_

_“You don’t take vacation time_ any _time of year. I miss you.”_

_“I just can’t, Dad. We’ve got to be ready for the new season when it opens. You know this.”_

_“I know. I just want to see my kid and my grandkid before I’m too senile to remember who they are.”_

Friday afternoons quickly become Kurt’s favorite time of the week. He looks forward to going to Ariston’s each week to see what arrangements the man behind the counter will come up with for him and Gabe to take home. Gabe has taken a liking to the man, as well, calling him Mr. Florist. They have never gotten beyond a professional conversation, a simple, “Good afternoon, sir, I hope you’ve had a good week,” but Kurt certainly enjoys seeing the man each week.  Kurt has noticed several pictures have appeared on the bulletin board behind the counter since the man started working at the florist shop. He is always pictured with the same man, always smiling, always with their arms around each other’s shoulders. Mrs. Ariston hasn’t been working on a Friday afternoon since Mr. Florist started, either. This week, after four weeks of not seeing her, Kurt decides to be brave and ask the handsome man where his favorite fleuriste disappeared to.

He responds, “Oh, she cut back some hours and works mornings now. Her son just had a baby and she decided to spend some time being a grandma.”

Kurt gets hit with a wave of nostalgia at those words; he desperately misses his family. His dad has always been his strongest supporter and greatest champion, and despite his recent ill health, he is still in Kurt’s corner. Kurt is always working, always striving, and always trying to keep Gabriel’s life smooth and easy. He just doesn’t have time to think about anything but work and his son. He certainly can’t take time to travel all the way back to Ohio, yet he knows Gabriel is missing out on having an extended family.

Even so, Kurt grew up with just he and his dad, and he turned out okay, so he convinces himself to keep going and keep living his life, ignoring the voice in his head that there could be something more for him than what he is living.

“Sir, are you okay? Sir?” The florist’s voice breaks into Kurt’s reverie.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I was just thinking… It’s nothing. What do you have for me today?” Kurt replies.

The man behind the counter still looks concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay? You looked a million miles away, and honestly? You looked really sad. Can I do anything to help?”

Kurt smiles. “Thank you. I have my moments. I’d really like to get some flowers that remind me of home tonight. Do you have any wild roses, or maybe blue irises?”

“You must be from the Midwest,” the florist says knowingly.

“How did you know?” Kurt exclaims.

“I grew up in Ohio. The flowers are familiar, as is your accent. You obviously aren’t a native New Yorkah.”

Kurt feels himself smile at the man’s affected accent. “I’m from Ohio, as well. Kurt Hummel. You are?”

“Blaine. Nice to officially meet you, Kurt. Give me a few minutes to see what I can round up for you tonight.”

When Blaine returns, he brings out a bouquet of gorgeous blue irises with wild roses and some taller lupines poking out through the top. “Here you go, Kurt. Some admiration, mixed with simplicity and imagination. Thirty dollars this week.”

“Thank you, Blaine. Have a nice weekend.”

Kurt pays, takes the flowers, and finds Gabe to walk home.

~~~~

The wildflowers remind Kurt of home for several days until the bouquet is spent and he has to throw them away. The memories they invoke stay with him longer: days spent walking in the fields with his dad when he was little; flowers given to his mother from tiny little boy hands; bouquets picked to place on a gravestone instead of the kitchen counter; wildflower bouquets for a fall wedding, planned in a few weeks; flowers set on the window sill of a hospital room, waiting and hoping his dad would wake up from his coma.

Kurt decides it’s time to reconnect with his family. He calls his dad and convinces him and Carole, his stepmother, to come out and visit him and Gabe since Kurt can’t get back to Ohio. They make plans to take the train up and arrive on Saturday morning and stay through Tuesday. Not long enough, but more than Kurt had hoped they would do.  He and Gabe make their typical stop at Ariston’s to pick up a bouquet on Friday evening, asking Blaine to put together something welcoming for his parents as they come. He puts together a lovely arrangement of pink carnations and camellia, symbolizing gratitude and appreciation, with wisteria added in to mean welcome.

When Burt and Carole arrive at Kurt and Gabe’s apartment, Kurt is pleased to see no hesitation in his son as he jumps into his grandfather’s arms for a patented Burt Hummel bear hug.  Burt spins Gabe around and around while Carole watches with tears in her eyes. When it is her turn for hugs, Gabriel hangs onto her even longer than he had to Burt, whispering, “Don’t cry, Grandma. This is supposed to be a happy time.”

“I am happy, sweetie. These tears are because I am so happy to see you and your daddy.”

Gabe looks up at Kurt, apparently needing reassurance that it is possible to have happy tears, and Kurt smiles at him through his own tears of joy.

Kurt leads them all to the dining room table, where Carole exclaims over the beautiful flower arrangement in the center. Gabe mentions that the nice Mr. Florist makes them a special bouquet every week and Burt raises an eyebrow at Kurt. “Mr. Florist? Is he someone I need to know about?”

“No, Dad. Honestly. His name is Blaine; he works at the florist we go to on Fridays. Turns out he’s from Ohio originally, too. But I’m not even sure he’s gay.”

Gabe interjects, “I think he is. There are lots of pictures of him with a man that looks like a boyfriend on the bulletin board. They’re always hugging and stuff. There’s even one of them kissing by a waterfall.”

“Oh, I remember the picture of the falls!” Kurt says. “I think it’s one of the falls we saw at Hocking Hills State Park. I think it was called Cedar Falls, wasn’t it?”

“Another gay guy from Ohio? Sounds like a good friend for you,” says Burt.

“I don’t have time for friends or boyfriends, Dad,” replies Kurt. “You know that. I work, I take care of Gabe, I sleep. That is my life.”

“Kurt, no one ever died wishing they’d spent more time at work or more time asleep. You’ve gotta get out there and connect with people,” Burt says. After a brief pause, he continues, “or at least one person.”

Kurt sighs. “Honestly, Dad? No one is beating down the door for an instant family. I’m not interested in bars and parties, and as lonely as I feel sometimes, I don’t want to risk becoming attached to someone who will eventually bail on us.”

At that moment, Gabe gets up and leaves the room.  Kurt sees Carole slip out after him.

“Great, Dad. Now my son thinks he’s in the way. If you’ll excuse me.”

~~~~

It takes some time, but eventually Kurt is able to convince Gabriel that his loneliness is _not at all_ Gabriel’s fault. Gabriel seems to understand, but Kurt is still kicking himself for letting even that one remark slip out. He knows his life would look so very different without Gabriel in it, but in no way does he ever think ‘different’ means ‘better.’ Nothing can replace the love he feels for his son, and nothing ever should. Convincing an almost seven-year-old of that is a much harder job, especially when said seven-year-old is an overly empathetic sweetheart with a loudmouth grandfather.

The rest of Burt and Carole’s trip is a mix of sight-seeing, restaurant food, and playing at the park. Burt doesn’t bring up Kurt’s eternal bachelor status again, and Kurt is relieved. He wishes it hadn’t been at the expense of his son’s psyche, but at least his dad isn’t haranguing him to “get out there” and find his non-existent soul mate.

When it is time to drop his parents off at the train station on Tuesday morning, his father wraps him up in a hug and gently says in his ear, “I just want you to be happy, Kurt. Don’t let life pass you by, okay?”

With wet eyes, Kurt returns the hug and says, “I know, Dad. I love you. And I _am_ happy. Really.”

Burt looks back at Kurt with an unreadable expression, and Kurt can tell his dad doesn’t believe him one bit.  
 


	5. Letter from Gabe, part 5

_“Excuse me, Mr. Florist? I have a note for you. Please don’t let my daddy see it!”_

_“Um, okay? Gabe? Is something wrong?”_

_“I think so. Just read it after we leave, okay, Mr. Florist?”_

_“You got it, buddy. I’ll read it.”_

  
The next Friday, Kurt and Gabriel are back at Ariston’s, picking up their standard Friday bouquet. Nothing special or particularly meaningful this time. Kurt notices that the pictures on the bulletin board have been taken down, and is in the process of trying to redirect Gabriel’s attention when he notices, too, and asks Blaine what happened to them.

“Oh, well, my boyfriend and I decided we were better as friends. I didn’t want to have all of those reminders here at work anymore, so I took them down.”

Kurt looks up sharply when he overhears Blaine’s response and sees sadness in those beautiful eyes. There is obviously more to the story, but of course, why would someone tell it to a stranger, especially a child?  Slightly mortified, Kurt pays for his bouquet, takes Gabe’s hand, and they go home together to another typical Friday.

Kurt can’t get the pain in Blaine’s eyes out of his mind that whole week. He recognized it: soul-deep weariness, loneliness, and despair of ever finding and keeping a lasting love connection. It is the look that stares back at Kurt from the mirror when he thinks about his father’s words. It is the look he tries never to show in public, not even to his son. _Especially_ not to his son.

Kurt has taken on an extra show at work. It is a fairly small production, and way off Broadway, but he already knows the people from his standard contracts far too well. Burt’s voice is echoing in the back of his head. He has to put himself _out there._ What does that even mean? Kurt has never been one for being out there. No one he’s met in New York wants an inexperienced, Midwestern-born, father of a seven-year-old as a boyfriend. This new show has only a few cast members, but at least they are new faces. The costuming is fairly simple, modern attire, and doesn’t take Kurt long to design at all. The actors might as well wear clothes from their own closets, but it is a paycheck, and a nice one at that. Kurt decides to break the routine the Friday after he gets paid for his work, and takes Gabe out to dinner before they go to get their flowers.

Gabe is acting suspiciously that evening. He keeps trying to get Kurt to go to the flower shop, afraid they might be closed before they can get there. Kurt assures him they will still be on time to pick up their bouquet. Gabe eats hurriedly, instead of enjoying the experience like he usually would on the rare occasion they eat out. He rejects the offer of dessert in favor of leaving early to get to the flower shop on time. Once they arrive at the store, however, Gabe seems to try everything he can think of to get away from his dad. He drags Kurt over to the far edge of the store to look at vases he knows they don’t need. He tries to slip back to the counter, but Kurt grabs his hand and tells him to stay close.  
When they’re getting ready to leave, Gabe finally asks to use the restroom. “Alone, Daddy, I’m a big kid. I just turned seven, you know.” Kurt goes over to the card rack to check out birthday cards for Rachel while Gabe goes to ask Blaine to use the restroom.

After his bathroom break, Gabriel seems significantly more calm. He and Kurt buy their flowers and head home together for a little playtime before bed.

The following week, Blaine is already waiting behind the counter with a bouquet ready when Kurt and Gabe arrive at the store, one made up of snowdrops hanging over the edge of a clear, crystal vase with spikes of lilac roses and pink carnations. Attached is a card in a familiar-looking, green envelope.

“On the house today, boys. A gift from me to you both,” Blaine says with a shy grin.

“What? We couldn’t possibly—” begins Kurt.

Gabe interrupts, raising an eyebrow and looking pointedly over at his daddy. “Thank you, Mr. Florist. You are very kind. Right, Daddy?”

Kurt stops and looks down at his son. “You’re right, Gabriel. Thank you, Blaine.” Kurt smiles at Blaine as he takes the bouquet and the card. “Should I read this now?”

“Wait until you get home.”

Kurt and Gabe take the bouquet with them as they head home for dinner. Gabriel wants Kurt to read the card before he cooks dinner, so they curl up together on the couch and pull out the envelope.

“Gabriel, how did Blaine get an envelope from the stationary set your mommy sent you for Christmas?”

Gabe’s eyes went wide with his most innocent look. “I have no idea, Daddy. Maybe Mommy sent him one, too?”

Kurt snorted. “Nice try, little man. Now what could Blaine have to say to me, I wonder?”

  _Dear Kurt:_

  _From the very first time you walked in the door of our flower shop, I couldn’t help but notice the amazing love you share with your son. I_ _assumed you must have an amazing partner to share him with. Imagine my surprise to find out that you are single. I don’t know if you would have any interest in me at all, but I would love the opportunity to get to know you beyond our Friday conversations in the store. If you are interested, please give me a call at (212) 555-6184. If not, feel free to recycle this note and ignore it. I promise, nothing will change at the store._  
  _Sincerely,_  
  _Blaine Anderson_

“Gabriel Evans Hummel, what on earth did you do?”

 “I didn’t do anything, Daddy.” Gabe doesn’t look at Kurt in the eye.

“Oh, really?”

“Really, Daddy. I didn’t do a thing.” Despite his wide-eyed, innocent look, Gabriel has found something very interesting to look at behind Kurt’s head, over his left shoulder. Kurt moves his head to intercept Gabriel’s line of sight but he just looks down at the floor instead.

Kurt scoops his son up in his arms and carries him over to the couch. “Gabe, honey, tell me what you did. I won’t be mad. I promise.”

“Well, I just wrote Mr. Florist a note, Daddy.”

Kurt grimaces. “And what did the note say, sweetie?”

“I just told him about how you were lonely…” Gabriel trails off mid-sentence.

“And…”

“And I kind of asked him to go on a date with you.”

“ _What?_ Oh, honey, why would you do that?” Kurt feels absolutely flabbergasted. He wouldn’t have anticipated in a million years that his son would try to set him up on a date.

“I don’t want you to be lonely anymore, Daddy,” replies Gabe. “I know you love me and I love you, but I want you to be happy, not lonely. Maybe Mr. Florist can make you not lonely anymore.”

“Thank you, Gabe, but I think Blaine and I are okay the way things are.”

“What did his note say, Daddy?”

“Nothing you need to worry about, little man. Now, time for bed.”

Kurt tucks Gabe into bed, sings him a song, and goes to clean up the apartment. He takes the note from Blaine and goes to throw it in the trash can, but before he can do it, he stops, re-reads it, smiles to himself, and pulls out his phone.


	6. Letter from Gabe, part 6

_“Rachel, please. I haven’t asked you for something like this in a really long time. Ever, really. I just need one night out as a grown-up.”_

_“But Kurt, I only get one night off a week. I need to rest my voice, do my laundry… You know how hard it is to work full-time on Broadway.”_

_“I do know that, Rachel. I still work full-time on Broadway, I’m just not performing anymore. Fine. I’ll find some teenaged stranger to watch my son.”_

_“Oh, Kurt. Stop it. Fine. Bring him to my place. He can hang out here with me.”_

Kurt holds his breath while Blaine’s phone rings on the other end. He hopes against hope that Blaine picks up, because he hates leaving messages. Unfortunately, Kurt doesn’t seem to be too lucky, as he hears Blaine’s voice come down the line: _Thank you for calling Blaine Anderson of Ariston Floral. I can’t take your call right now, so please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”_

Kurt hangs up. He is petrified of saying the wrong thing on the voicemail. _Idiot. Hummel, you absolute idiot. How hard is it to leave a message for someone who already told you he’s interested? Idiot._

He stares at his phone for a few seconds and then gets startled as it starts ringing in his hand. It is the same number he just dialed.  
Taking a deep breath, he swipes to answer the call. “H-hello?”

_“Hello. This is Blaine Anderson. I believe I just missed a call from you?”_

“Blaine, hi. This is Kurt Hummel. From the flower shop. Gabe’s dad.”

_“Kurt! I’m so glad you called! I take it you read my note?”_

“Yes, that’s how I got your number,” Kurt replies, in his most innocent voice. “I’m so sorry that Gabe imposed on you like that. He really shouldn’t have.”

_“Oh, I’m really glad he did. I never would have had the guts to ask you out otherwise. Although, I guess I really didn’t ask you out, did I? But I’d like to! I mean, if you’d be interested.”_

Blaine sounds so nervous and awkward that Kurt can’t help but smile. “I would love to, Blaine. Where and when?”

Kurt and Blaine decide to meet up after work the following Monday, as Kurt is sure Rachel’s show is dark that night and he should be able to get her to watch Gabriel for him. It’s a bit of a struggle to get her to agree, but after a bit of arm-twisting and guilt-tripping, she finally agrees to keep him at her house for the evening, so long as Kurt brings him and picks him up. It is a little out of his way, but it’s better than hiring someone he’s never met before.

Kurt is still dressed in his work clothes when he drops Gabe off, but he only has about twenty minutes before he really needs to be at the flower shop, so he decides to take off his tie and wrap a scarf around his neck instead. Rachel has a few of his less favorite scarves that she has borrowed over the years, so Kurt borrows one back. He leaves the tie at her apartment, figuring he’ll pick it up when he comes back to pick up Gabe. It isn’t as if Blaine isn’t used to seeing him dressed for work, since he’s been visiting the shop every Friday for several months.  
Kurt is a few minutes later than he wanted to be when he arrives at Ariston’s, but Blaine is waiting for him outside the locked front door. Kurt can tell when Blaine spots him because his face morphs from a concerned frown to an ecstatic grin, bordering on idiotic.

“Happy to see me?” Kurt asks.

Blaine blushes a bit and looks down shyly.  “Yeah, I guess I am. Is that okay?”

“It’s wonderful. I’m glad to see you, too.” Kurt responds. “So, where to?”

“I hoped you wouldn’t mind keeping it casual. I don’t usually eat a lot after work.”

“No, that’s perfect.”

“Great. Right this way, kind sir!” Blaine leads Kurt to the corner and across the street to the Macchiato Espresso Bar, a cozy little coffee shop and deli with a seating area around the outside edge.

“Why thank you, Mr. Anderson,” Kurt flirted back.

Kurt orders a wrap with chicken and avocado that looks sinful. Blaine gets a prosciutto roll with a huge piece of buffalo mozzarella and tons of vegetables. They each take a water bottle and sit down at a table in the corner.

“So,” Kurt begins, “Tell me how a person becomes a florist.”

Blaine smiles. “Well, that’s a bit of a long story. How much time do we have?”

Kurt grins back at him. “As much time as you need, or until 9:30, which is when I pick Gabriel up from the sitter.”

“I didn’t always dream of doing this, you know,” Blaine begins, his tone easy and a little flirtatious. “Growing up in Ohio, I was a music geek. My parents started me in piano lessons when I was five or six, and I absolutely loved it. I guess you could say I was a natural.”

“So, what happened? How does a musician end up making flower arrangements?” Kurt wonders aloud.

“Well, everybody starting out needs a day job,” replies Blaine. “Mine was a delivery boy for Mrs. Ariston. She started to teach me the basics of how to arrange things, so that when I’d make a delivery, I could make sure everything was just so before I gave it to the customer. I guess I had a knack for it.”

“You certainly do,” remarks Kurt. “Everything you’ve put together for Gabe and I has been beautiful.”

Blaine blushes. “Well, I must admit to a bit of an ulterior motive, there.”

“Oh, really?” Kurt asks, raising an eyebrow with a slight smirk on his face.

Blaine blushes even darker. “Well, I thought you were attached, but even so, I wanted you to notice me.”

Kurt feels his smirk bloom into a grin. “Well, how is that working out for you?”

Blaine’s eyes sparkle as he flirts back, “I don’t know; you tell me.”

Both of them burst into laughter at once, and Kurt decides to continue with his questions. “So what happened to your music, then? Did you just give it up?”

“Not at first. Deliveries were usually done with by 2:00, so it was easy to find time to play in the evenings. The trouble wasn’t the time, it was finding gigs,” Blaine says. “When Mrs. Ariston’s grandson was born, I was happy to pick up the afternoons at the store. The steady hours are great, and some of the customers are pretty hot.” Blaine looks down after he says that, as if he can’t believe he said it out loud.

Kurt snorts quietly. “Such a charmer, Mr. Anderson.  No wonder Mrs. Ariston loves you so much! Do you see yourself going back to music or performing any time soon?”

“Probably not. Although running a flower shop and creating beauty in the world with arrangements and bouquets wasn’t my original life’s dream,” Blaine explains, “somehow, it’s turned out to be exactly what I need to be doing. I get to add beauty to some of life’s most difficult situations, be a part of restoring broken relationships, and enhance the sweetest of life’s moments. It’s not the art that I thought I’d be creating when I dreamed of my future in high school, but it’s still art, and I love it!”

Blaine suggests at that point that they go back up to the counter for chocolate croissants and mochas for dessert. When they return to sit down, he says. “Enough about me. Tell about that beautiful boy of yours.”

Kurt feels his face light up like he knows it always does when he talks about Gabe. “Talk about long stories. Where to begin?”

“How about at the beginning? I already know he has another dad. Where’s Mom?”

“Well, Brittany is a friend of mine from high school. She’s a dancer, and she’s on tour with Beyonce, and before that, she was dancing for Madonna. Her jobs take her all over the country and at very odd times.” Kurt pauses to take a sip from his mocha.

Blaine takes the opportunity and asks, “So if Brittany is the mom and there’s another dad, how did you end up with Gabe?”

“When Sam and Brit found out she was pregnant, he was deployed to Afghanistan. He’d arranged for a three month leave around her due date, but an IED took out his convoy before he could get home.”

“Oh God, Kurt, I’m so sorry.” Blaine looks heartbroken.

“It wasn’t your fault, Blaine,” Kurt replies. “Anyway, I promised Sam I’d be there when the baby was born. Brit didn’t have insurance, so my name ended up on the birth certificate. Sam was gone, and he would have wanted his son to be taken care of, so the baby became Gabriel Evans Hummel. Sam’s last name was Evans, mine is Hummel.”

“Why Gabriel?”

“Brittany said that since his daddy was already an angel, he deserved an angel name.” Kurt pauses again for another sip of coffee and a bite of croissant before continuing. “So to make a long story even longer, I helped Brit take care of him while she healed and grieved. His first word was Dada, and that was me! When she got the second world tour, I asked her to sign custody over to me permanently. It just made everything so much easier.”

Blaine looks awestruck. “So, you’re taking care of a kid that has no blood relationship to you at all because you made a promise to help deliver him if his dad couldn’t get back from his tour of Afghanistan in time?”

Kurt smiles wryly. “Well, when you put it that way, it sounds a bit crazy. I prefer to think of it as, I’m raising my adoptive son, and I just happened to go to high school with his birth parents.”

“I have so much respect for you, Kurt. That’s an incredible story,” Blaine responds.

“Well, this is the part where guys usually run away. Instant family and all. So, thanks for dinner,” Kurt says, suddenly finding the bottom of his empty coffee cup fascinating.

“Kurt,” Blaine begins. “Kurt. Look at me.”

Kurt shakes his head.

“I’m still here.” Blaine reaches across the table to take Kurt’s hand in his own. “I already knew you were a dad when I asked you out. I’m not going to run.”

Kurt glances up at Blaine from the corner of his eye, his head still turned away. “I wish I could believe you, but I’ve been burned too many times.”

“I’m not like everyone else. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance.”

“A chance for what, exactly? What is it that you want from me?” Kurt asks.

Blaine squeezes Kurt’s hand. “I want to take you out on dates. Buy you dinner. Get to know even more about the incredible man I can already tell you are. Maybe, if you’ll let me, I can even give you a kiss goodnight.”

Kurt giggles at that. “Of course you can kiss me; I would love that. And everything else sounds wonderful, as well. Is it okay if we wait to tell Gabriel about this until we’re more certain about things? I would hate for him to get attached until we know for sure we want to give this a shot.”

“Of course. Whatever you think is right. You’re his dad.”

After their meal, Blaine takes Kurt’s hand and leads him out to the sidewalk. “Do we have time for a walk in the park?”

Kurt looks at his watch. “Absolutely. I don’t have to be to Rachel’s for an hour and a half. Lead on.”

Kurt realizes in no time where they are headed. “Bryant Park? How very romantic of you, sir.”

Blaine smiles brightly. “I’d hoped you’d think so.”

They walk together, arm in arm, chatting about the beautiful gardens, the different kinds of flowers and how well they’d work in bouquets, the difficulties of leaving work at work, and other more fun subjects, like dream vacations, famous people they’d like to meet someday, and most embarrassing moments.  They look at the monuments and fountains, and finally decide to stop and watch some older gentlemen playing pétanque on the green.

“I can almost imagine we’re in Provence, watching this,” declares Kurt.

“Is that one of your dream vacation spots?” asks Blaine.

“Not so much. I’m really more of a city boy. If I ever get to go to Europe, it would be Paris, Rome, Venice, and London. Not necessarily in that order, either.”

“Mmm.  For me? Amsterdam, Lisse, Versailles, and Barcelona.”

“Always for the flowers, Blaine?”

“Of course.”

The hour passes so easily, the next time Kurt looks at the time on his phone it is passed the time he should leave.

“Oh my God. Rachel is going to kill me. I promised I’d pick up Gabe by 9:30 and it’s already quarter after. I have to run.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I completely lost track of the time as well.” They walk together towards the subway station on the corner.

 “Well, goodnight. I’ll see you on Friday, then.”

“Wait, Kurt. Just one more thing.” Blaine puts his hand on Kurt’s cheek. “Can I still have that kiss?”

Kurt smiles. “I did promise, didn’t I?”

Blaine leans his head to the side and slowly moves forward, pressing his lips gently against Kurt’s. Blaine’s lips are so warm and soft. Kurt melts on the inside, his mind buzzing, and leans closer as Blaine pulls away, chasing the warmth as they separate.

“Goodnight, Kurt. I’ll see you soon.”

 

 

 


	7. Letter from Gabe, part 7

_“Daddy, where are you going?”_

_“Daddy is going out to dinner with Blaine again.”_

_“Mr. Florist? Why does he want to have dinner with you?”_

_“We’re good friends, honey. You’ll stay here with Kayleigh. She’ll put you to bed and I’ll be home before you wake up. Okay, buddy?”_

_“Okay, Daddy. I love you.”_

_“I love you, too, kiddo.”_

Their kiss goodnight might as well have been magical. Kurt wakes up early the next morning and swears his lips are still tingling from it. He reaches up to touch his lips, caress them to make sure he isn’t ill or feverish. Everything feels normal from the outside, but the buzzy feeling that rushed through him the night before is still there.

Since he woke up early and Gabe hasn’t arrived yet, he takes some time to reminisce about their date: Blaine’s smile reaching through his eyes every time he looked at Kurt; the conversation that just flowed all night; holding hands as they walked back to the subway station together.

He remembers answering Rachel’s questions hurriedly, ostensibly because he’d wanted to get home and put Gabe to bed. In actual fact, he had just wanted to be alone and float on the clouds of joy that his first date had brought to him.

Now they’ve had their first date, Kurt can’t wait to get to a second and third. It is not going to be possible to have an evening out with Blaine unless Kurt finds a different babysitter. He will have to ask around at work to see if anyone knows anyone.

The door opens and Gabriel peeks in. “Daddy! You’re awake early again!”

“Good morning, buddy! Come over here and cuddle with me.”

Gabriel walks quickly into the room and slides under the covers, snuggling up with Kurt. “So, did you have fun on your date with Mr. Florist?”

Kurt smiles at his son. “I really did, bud.”

“What did you do together?” Gabriel asks sweetly.

“We ate dinner and went for a walk.”

Gabe scoffs. “That sounds boring, Daddy! Didn’t you play games or watch cartoons or sing songs or anything fun?”

Kurt smirks. “Sorry, bud. I guess we’re just boring old guys.” Kurt wraps his arms around his little boy and blows raspberries into his shoulder as they giggle together.

Being a Tuesday, it’s a regular day of school and work. Kurt drops Gabriel off after breakfast and practically skips into his office.  Waiting for him on his desk is a package from Ariston Floral. He opens it up to find the most stunning bouquet of pink orchids and white and red carnations. The card attached has only one letter.

_~B._

Kurt grabs his phone and quickly shoots off a text, thanking Blaine for his thoughtfulness. The smile doesn’t leave his face all day, despite the crazy workload that lands in his lap.

After work, he picks up Gabriel. Together, they decide to stop by Mr. Florist’s shop and say hello. Kurt is all smiles as he walks into the store and sees Blaine at the counter in the back. Blaine is looking down at the computer with the phone tucked into his ear, so he hasn’t noticed who entered the store. Gabe walks around the side of the store to look at the fresh bouquets in the coolers while Kurt hesitates, unsure if he should follow his son or go greet Blaine and tell him thank you in person.

Kurt decides to go after Gabriel, so he trails behind his son as he presses his nose into the glass on the cases, looking at the variety of flowers on display.

“Daddy, why are there so many different kinds of flowers?”

Kurt smiles. “I don’t know. What do you think?”

“Hmm. Well, each one means something, right? I guess someone thought we had so many things to say that we needed lots of different ways to say things?”

Another voice speaks up from behind them. “That’s good thinking, there, Gabe.”

“Mr. Florist! Hiya!” Gabe’s smile lights up the room. “You sent my daddy flowers!”

Blaine smiles back at Gabe. “That’s right, little man. I did.” Blaine looks up at Kurt. “Did you like them?”

“That’s why we’re here. I wanted to thank you in person.” Kurt reaches out to take Blaine’s hand. “It was a lovely surprise. You made my day. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” replies Blaine. “Anytime.” Their eyes lock over their interwoven fingers; Kurt can’t see anything but Blaine and his lips. He wants to lean in and see if their second kiss might be as amazing as their first but before he gets past the first glimmer of a thought, he hears a little voice pop up.

“Mr. Florist, next time you take my daddy on a date, you need to be more fun.” Gabe looks sweetly innocent. Kurt is mortified.

Blaine pulls his hand out of Kurt’s as his eyebrows fly up. “Oh, really? What do you know about that, Gabriel?”

“ _Gabriel Evans Hummel._ What do you think you’re doing?” Kurt’s face is hot—he must look like a strawberry at this point.

“But Daddy, you said you just went on a walk. That’s boring! Next time you go out you should get to do something more fun, like playing at the park or singing songs!” Gabriel looks confused, as if he doesn’t understand what he did wrong, why his daddy sounds so angry.

Blaine bursts out laughing, taking Kurt’s hand again. “Don’t worry, Gabriel. If I’m lucky enough to get a second date with your daddy, I’ll make sure he isn’t bored.”

***

Kurt decides to invite Blaine out himself for their second date. This time, rather than try and connect after work, he decides to try out a babysitter and take Blaine to see Rachel in _Les Mis_. She is usually able to get comp tickets at short notice, and she doesn’t fail him this time, either, scoring them row A in the Mezzanine—ridiculously good seats, and Kurt decides he doesn’t want to know how exactly that happened.  
He picks Blaine up at the flower shop, again, but this time before closing. There is another person behind the counter as Blaine comes out of the back room dressed in a suit, carrying a small box.

Kurt wonders aloud, “What on earth is that?”

Blaine grins. “Just a little something I put together in the back.”

“Am I allowed to see it?”

“Close your eyes.”

Kurt quirks an eyebrow at Blaine for a second, but decides to acquiesce and closes his eyes. He feels hands pulling at his lapel and smells a  
flower he’s not familiar with.

“You can open your eyes now.”

Kurt looks down at his lapel and [sees](http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/231177/best-boutonnieres#320301) a sprig of lilies of the valley wrapped in their own leaf, attached to his lapel with a pin of two small leaves made of gold. Blaine is looking at him with a hopeful smile, one eyebrow raised, his head tipped slightly to the side. “Well?”

Kurt breathes in the lovely aroma and decides that dating a florist might just be the best thing ever.

“Thank you, Blaine. I love it.” Kurt glances at Blaine’s suit jacket. “Do you have one for yourself?”

“I do. Will you help me put it on?”

Kurt pins Blaine’s boutonniere to his lapel, takes his hand, and they leave together for their date.

***

“Kurt, that was amazing! I can’t believe we got such great seats on such short notice!”

Kurt smiles wryly at Blaine. “I know, right? Rachel can be the most annoying person on the planet, but sometimes she really comes through!”

Hand in hand, they start walking towards the subway. Blaine turns to Kurt and takes both of his hands. “Would you like to come back to my place for a little while?”

Kurt hesitates. He doesn’t know exactly what to expect here, since he’s had such a limited experience with dating. He really would like to spend time one on one, getting to know Blaine better, but not really getting to _know_ him, so to speak.  Blaine seems to sense his hesitation. “I mean, for a cup of coffee, or maybe a drink. That’s all. I just want to talk to you more, get to know you better, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Kurt swallows down his hesitation. “Sure. Why not?”

They walk hand-in-hand to the subway station, stay in close contact standing together on the train, and when they reach Blaine’s stop, Kurt realizes they aren’t too far away from his apartment, either. “I didn’t realize how close we live to each other. I’m just around the corner, over there.”

“Really? I’m surprised we haven’t run into each other before.”

“I’m not. My life is pretty much set up around Gabe’s routine,” Kurt explains.  “We get up, get ready for the day and go to school, then I go to work. I pick him up; we go home. When we first moved out here, there were three adults sharing the rent on our two bedroom. Now it’s just me, with some child support help from Brittany. We don’t have a lot of extra money, or extra time for that matter.”

They reach Blaine’s building. He lets go of Kurt’s hand long enough to unlock the door and open it for him, then takes it back immediately as they walk up the stairs to Blaine’s fourth floor apartment.

Blaine opens his apartment door, motions for Kurt to go in, and follows in behind him. “Can I take your jacket?”

Kurt smiles shyly. “Thank you.”

After Blaine hangs Kurt’s jacket in the coat closet, he turns and, looking as nervous as Kurt feels, he asks, “Would you like a cup of coffee? Or maybe a glass of wine?”

“Maybe wine. Yes. Wine would be nice, thanks.” Kurt is hoping that a little bit of wine will help him shake his nerves enough to fall back into the easy conversation they had at dinner. Blaine disappears into the kitchen, so Kurt takes the opportunity to look around at the pictures on the walls and the books on the shelves. He sees pictures of Blaine with an older woman and two men, one with striking blue eyes, one with the same hazel eyes that caught Kurt’s attention the first time he saw Blaine at the shop.  There are other pictures of the blue-eyed man with a beautiful brunette and two boys. As he continues around the room, he notices an eclectic collection of books and movies on the towering bookshelf next to the entertainment. Kurt reaches up and runs his fingers across the spines of the books, wondering what it is like to have time to read for pleasure. He smiles when he sees the Harry Potter series in both book and movie form.

Blaine returns with two empty wine glasses and an open bottle of white wine. “See anything interesting?” he asks with a smile.

“Harry Potter, Blaine? I didn’t realize you were such a fantasy fan.”

“Who doesn’t like Harry Potter, Kurt, seriously?” Blaine retorts, grinning. “Have you read them to Gabe yet?”

“Of course. I think he secretly hopes that an owl will bring him an invitation letter in a few years,” Kurt replies.

“My nephews are the same way. I suppose I could always say I bought them to have for them, but I grew up with Harry Potter, and I’d love them whether I had nephews or not.”

“So, you’re Uncle Blaine, then?” Asks Kurt.

“Yes. Cooper, my older brother, has Nathaniel and Justin.” Blaine reaches over and takes one of the pictures Kurt had been looking at off the wall. “This is Coop, his wife, Jenny, and the boys.  They live out in Los Angeles, so I don’t get to see them nearly often enough.”

“What does he do for a living?” asks Kurt.

“He’s a production assistant for a documentary film maker. He had big dreams of taking Hollywood by storm when he was younger, but he wasn’t cut out to be an actor.”

“He certainly looks the part,” mused Kurt.

“Maybe,” replied Blaine, “but he was a terrible actor. He wouldn’t take direction from _anyone._ He was over-dramatic, always pointing at everyone, and I don’t think he ever even tried to notice what the other people around him were doing. He’s much better off behind the scenes, and I know he makes better money.”

“What does his wife do?”

“Jenny? She is a lawyer, family law, actually,” replied Blaine. “She helps people adopt, settle divorces, deals with custody and guardianship, that sort of thing.”

“They have a beautiful family,” remarks Kurt.

“True,” replies Blaine, “but so do you.”

Kurt blushes. “Thank you. I like to think Gabe is pretty awesome, even though I didn’t have anything to do with making him.”

Blaine laughs. “Really? You may not have contributed any DNA, but believe me, Kurt, that boy is very much yours. He’s bold, beautiful, and _so_ sweet—all things he’s learned from you. The expression on his face when he questions something you say? The one with the eyebrow and the look? That’s totally you, too.”

Kurt looks down at the floor, then raises his eyes just enough to peek at Blaine through his eyelashes. “I’m glad you think so. He’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Blaine moves over to pour wine into the glasses and passes one to Kurt. They sit together on the couch, angled sideways, in order to sit face to face. Kurt relaxes into the cushions as he and Blaine look at each other over their wine glasses, and he decides there is nowhere on earth he’d rather be.


	8. Letter from Gabe, part 8

_“Mr. Hummel, sir, I’m so grateful for having met your son.”_

_“Call me Burt, and let me tell you, Blaine, I’ve never seen him this happy. It’s a good look for him.”_

_“He makes me happy, too, sir. Would you, um, maybe, um, well…”_

_“Spit it out, Blaine. I’m not going to bite you, I promise.”_

_“Mr. Hummel, Burt, sir, I would like the honor of marrying your son. It would mean the world to me to have your blessing.”_

_“What do you think about that, Gabe?”_

_“I think it’s perfect, Grandpa!”_

_“Blaine, if you have Gabe’s blessing, then you have mine.”_

It is a strange feeling for Kurt, having to consider another adult and what they might want to do when planning or making decisions. It’s very different from being a single dad and only considering his child. Kurt isn’t quite used to it, but he is finding out that he doesn’t mind it so much. When it comes right down to it, thinking about Blaine has become his favorite part of the day. He plans in his head their next coffee date, or when he can sneak away to meet him for lunch. He dreams about dinner dates and somewhere in the not-too-distant future, maybe even sleepovers.

Kurt and Blaine spend their time together sharing their horror stories of growing up in homophobic Ohio, their hopes and dreams for their future, their past failed attempts at relationships, and the silly things that happen in their daily lives. Kurt tells stories of crazy divas and eccentric directors. Blaine talks about the demanding customers and bridezillas he deals with on a daily basis. After several months of seeing each other two or three times a week, they make the decision to introduce Blaine to Gabriel as Kurt’s boyfriend, not just as “Mr. Florist”.  
Gabriel laughs when he realizes that Kurt and Blaine had been trying to keep their relationship a secret. “Daddy, you guys have seen each other every weekend for, like, months! Of course he’s your boyfriend!”

_Well, looks like there was nothing to worry about on that front._

The next hurdle to get through is Burt. Kurt knows his dad will be happy for them since Kurt is happy, but Blaine is terrified to meet him anyway. Kurt really doesn’t understand what the big deal is, since Burt has known about their relationship from the beginning.

Kurt and Blaine take Gabriel to Ohio for Christmas. Blaine fidgets the whole way on the plane, even more than Gabriel does. Kurt keeps fondly rolling his eyes, not understanding at all what Blaine is so worried about. Gabe is so excited he can’t sit still, so Kurt and Blaine trade off taking him for walks up and down the aisle of the plane, back and forth to the bathroom, and up to the server’s station so he can see what happens up there.  For a seven-year-old, he asks remarkably good questions. “Excuse me, sir,” he asks the flight attendant, “how do the carts stay still in the aisles when the plane is moving so fast?” and “How come this big, heavy metal tube can stay in the air with all these people and all this stuff?”

When they land in Columbus, they gather their bags from the carousel and head off to find Burt, who is waiting for them just outside the baggage claim. Kurt grabs Burt to give him a hug and finds his feet lifted off the ground as his dad hugs him back. “Dad, I’d like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Blaine.”

“Mr. Hummel, sir, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard so many great things about you.”

“Likewise, Blaine. And please, call me Burt.”

When they get back to the house, Carole is waiting with dinner ready for all her boys. Finn comes over to join them and meet Blaine. The conversation during dinner is light-hearted and full of laughter, Burt and Finn doing their best to embarrass Kurt with stories of Lady Gaga costumes, glee club solos, and high school in general. As they sit around the table after dinner, Kurt looks around at all the people in his life that are important to him, his heart full with happiness.

Gabriel’s bedtime comes shortly after supper. He gets to sleep in Finn’s old bedroom. Gabe asks for Blaine to read him a story instead of Kurt. A normal story doesn’t take longer than ten or fifteen minutes, but Blaine doesn’t return to the living room for close to an hour.

“Did everything go okay? You were gone an awful long time.”

Blaine smiles. “I’m sorry. I just haven’t had the chance to put someone to bed like that before. I asked Gabe some questions, and he had lots of questions for me.  How do you manage to get in and out of his room so quickly?”

Kurt laughs. “Well, to start with, I limit him to only one question a night. What were you two talking about, anyway?”

Blaine blushes a little. “You, actually.”

“Oh, really? Anything I need to know?” Kurt asks.

“Nope. We’re good.” Blaine turns his attention to the show on the television, leaving Kurt to wonder what was going on.

Kurt and Blaine are sharing Kurt’s childhood bedroom for the weekend. It is the first time they have shared a bed for any reason. Their physical relationship has, until this point, been limited to making out on Blaine’s couch, but their hands have stayed above the waist. They’ve talked about it, and both of them would like to take things further eventually, but the opportunity and timing is always off. Kurt always has to get home to relieve a babysitter, and Blaine has been very patient up until this point. In the past, Blaine had always fallen into a physical relationship early on with his boyfriends, and the connection always fizzled out. He has explained to Kurt that building a foundation of friendship and love first feels like a much better beginning than he’s ever experienced before.

As they prepare for bed, Kurt changes in the ensuite bathroom while Blaine gets ready in the bedroom. When Kurt comes out of the bathroom, Blaine is slipping a t-shirt over his head, giving Kurt a peek at his abs for the very first time. Kurt gasps lightly, then walks towards Blaine, wrapping his arms around him, planting a deep kiss on his lips.

“Mmm. What was that for?” asks Blaine.

“No special reason,” responds Kurt. “I just love you.”

“Hmm. I love you, too,” replies Blaine. “Can we do that again?”

“Love to,” replies Kurt.

Kurt leads Blaine over to the bed, puts his hands on his shoulders, and presses gently until Blaine sits down. Kurt leans over and kisses Blaine deeply, sliding his tongue into Blaine’s mouth as if it belongs there. Arousal shoots through Kurt stronger than he’s ever felt it before. Blaine reaches up while lying back, pulling Kurt down to lie down on top of him. Kurt moans as their bodies connect from lips to hips. Keeping their kisses strong and steady, Kurt slides his hand down Blaine’s side, reaching his waist band, and slips his fingers under Blaine’s t-shirt, reaching for those abs he’d peeked at earlier. Blaine gasps, then grabs at Kurt’s hand.

“Kurt, stop. Please.”

Kurt rolls off of Blaine immediately. “I’m sorry. I got carried away.”

“No need to apologize. I was enjoying it. I just think I would prefer not to have this happen here, in your dad’s house, like this. I want it to be special for you, your first time.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you for explaining.”

“Kurt, I love you. Now let me hold you and we can go to sleep.”

***

The next day, Blaine pulls Burt into Gabriel’s room while Kurt is downstairs talking to Carole. Kurt wonders what on earth they are doing, but gets no answers when they come downstairs, Blaine with the keys to Burt’s truck, and he and Gabe jump in the pick-up and disappear together for three hours. When they get back, Gabe is giggling and Blaine sneaks upstairs, acting extremely suspiciously. When Kurt asks what was happening, Gabe puts on his innocent face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Daddy. We just went out to play.”

Kurt realizes he isn’t going to get anywhere with his son, but his father and Blaine are quick to clam up as well.

Two days later, it is Christmas morning. Gabriel runs into Kurt’s room at 5:00am to jump on top of him and Blaine. “Daddy, Blaine! Santa came. Get up! Get up! It’s Christmas!”

Kurt drags himself up and rips the covers off of Blaine. “No chance he’s going back to sleep. Might as well get it over with.”  Then he turns to Gabriel, “Go wake up Grandma and Grandpa, honey. We’ll meet you downstairs.”

The adults stumble downstairs, rubbing their eyes and mumbling about coffee and breakfast. Gabriel runs over to the Christmas tree and  
starts sorting through the Christmas presents. “One for Daddy, one for Grandma, and oh, look! Blaine, there’s some here for you, too!”  
Carole pops some fresh cinnamon rolls into the oven and starts a pot of coffee while the men flop onto couches, watching and smiling at Gabe’s excitement.

“Uh oh, guys. There are presents here for Uncle Finn, and he’s not here. Are we gonna hafta wait for him to get here?”

“No, honey,” replies Carole, “he won’t be here until after lunch. He’ll be sleeping for a few more hours, I’d guess. Why don’t you go ahead and start opening your presents.”

“Thank goodness!” exclaims Gabriel as he digs into the pile of presents that have his name on it.

Kurt watches his son with a smile while sipping on his coffee. Every present Gabriel opens creates more and more excitement. “Lookit, Daddy!  A Lego police car!” and, “Oh my goodness, it’s a chemistry set. I can blow things up!”

Kurt rolls his eyes at Carole on that one. “Oh great, Gabe! We’ll use that while we’re still here in Ohio!”

After Gabriel plows through all his presents, the cinnamon rolls have been eaten—with bacon, thank you very much—and naps have been taken, Finn arrives with more presents for everyone. He brings Gabriel a set of remote control police cars that speed around with sirens blaring. Kurt gives him the evil eye, threatening to get back at him. “Just wait until you have kids of your own, big brother. Just. You. Wait.”  
All too soon, it is time to head back to bed, pack up their things, and be ready to leave for the airport in the morning. Burt and Carole both go with Kurt, Blaine and Gabriel to the airport. Carole has tears in her eyes as they say goodbye. Burt wraps Kurt up in an extra special hug. “You’ve got a good man there, Kurt. Hang on to him.”

“I intend to, Dad. I intend to.”

Kurt watches as Blaine also gets a hug, accompanied by a few whispered words he can’t hear. Blaine pulls back to look Burt square in the eye. “You know I will, sir.”

Kurt takes Gabe’s hand in his, and Blaine takes Gabe’s other hand as they walk through security. Kurt looks back to see his dad and Carole, arm in arm, waving to him with tears streaming down their smiling faces. He waves back, then turns to his son. “Are we ready for this?”

“Let’s do it, Dad.”

***

Kurt still has some time off when they return to New York, but apparently Blaine has to work extra hours, since another employee is taking time off between Christmas and New Year’s. They aren’t able to see each other much, but they keep in touch with text messages and phone calls, and it gives Kurt time to spend with Gabriel. Still, Kurt misses the solid presence of his boyfriend in his life. He begins to think about the possibility of inviting Blaine to move in with him and Gabriel. It would be so nice to have Blaine coming home to him every night instead of having to live with phone calls and text messages after work. He decides to ask Blaine when they go out for New Year’s Eve. Blaine has asked to plan the whole evening, right down to the babysitter. Kurt has given him the names of the two teenagers that live in his building, as well as Rachel, but he is sure Rachel will be busy.

When the night arrives, Blaine tells him to dress up. They will be going to a fancy restaurant for dinner, and suits and ties are required apparel. Blaine arrives at 6:00 PM sharp to pick him up, boutonnieres in hand, and Kayleigh is already waiting with Gabriel at the apartment. “I don’t know what time we’ll be back, sweetie, but you know I’ll be with Blaine, and our cell numbers are on the counter. Bedtime is usually 9:00, but just this once, if you want to, you can try to stay up until midnight. I love you.”

“I love you too, Daddy. Have fun! See you tomorrow!”

“See you next year, Mr. Hummel,” says Kayleigh, with a smile.

***

“Kurt, you look amazing,” says Blaine, as he takes Kurt’s arm after the apartment door closes.

“You look pretty good yourself, there, sir,” replies Kurt.

Blaine somehow got reservations at The Empire Room, in the Empire State Building. “I’ve had this planned for quite a while, to be honest,” he confesses.  “I hope this is okay.”

“Oh, Blaine. It’s fabulous!” exclaims Kurt. “It’s a dream date come true!”

Blaine chuckles. “I’m glad to hear it. I just want to make you happy, Kurt. More than anything.”

As they share their meal, Kurt feels the anticipation building in his body. He knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the night. He is going to ask Blaine to move in. They continue to eat, and Kurt asks, “So, what’s next in your grand plan?”

“Well,” Blaine replies, “I bought tickets to the observatory. After dessert, we’ll head up to see the city and the fireworks, if you’d like.”

“Oh! I love it!” _That settles it. I will ask him upstairs, in the observatory. It will be so romantic!_ thinks Kurt.

***

Blaine orders them a luxurious cheesecake dessert, and pays for their meal. Then he offers his arm to Kurt and says, “Shall we?”

They make their way upstairs to the observatory, where Kurt begins to look around for the perfect view of the city. He can feel Blaine’s eyes on him as he moves about the deck. Kurt turns around to see Blaine, eyes shining, lowering himself down to one knee.

“Blaine! What are you doing?” Kurt gasps.

“Kurt Hummel, when you walked into my flower shop that day, I had never seen anyone so radiant, so loving, and yet so very sad. You intrigued me. I wanted to learn more about the mystery of that beautiful man.

When my boyfriend broke it off with me, I wasn’t as devastated as I probably should have been. All I could think was hopefully you were available, too. When Gabriel passed me that note, I was so grateful for the opening to finally have a chance with you.

As we’ve gotten to know each other, fall in love with each other, I’ve realized that I never want to spend another day without you in my life. You are my everything. Kurt Hummel, will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?”

Kurt stands there, his heart in his throat, one hand in Blaine’s and the other raised to his mouth as he nods his answer, his throat too swollen to speak.

Blaine reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black velvet box.

“I bought this in Ohio, just before Christmas, after I talked to your dad and Gabe that day. Gabe helped me pick it out. I hope you like it.” Blaine opened the box to reveal a beautiful yellow gold ring, inlaid with a white gold twist and three small diamonds.

“Blaine, it’s beautiful! Oh my God. We’re going to get married!”

Blaine stands back up and wraps his arms around Kurt. “I love you, fiancé.”

“I love you, too,” Kurt replies. Then he realizes what he’s been meaning to ask. “I have to admit, you kind of stole my thunder here. I was hoping to ask you tonight if you would move in with me, but this is so much better!”

“Kurt, I’m honored. And yes, as soon as my lease is up at the end of February, I would love to move in with you.”

Later, Blaine tells him that he’d arranged with Kayleigh and her parents that she would spend the night with Gabe at the apartment so Kurt and Blaine could celebrate their engagement alone together, and he could give Kurt that gloriously special first time he had promised him.

Kurt wakes up with Blaine’s arms wrapped around him and realizes that soon he will never have to be anywhere else.

When Blaine returns with Kurt to his apartment morning, Gabriel is awake and anxiously waiting for his father. Kurt walks through the door with a smile on his face the size of Texas. Gabriel jumps up and asks “Did you say yes, did ya? Did ya?”

“I did.”

“Yay! I can have two daddies, now, can’t I?”

Kurt looks up at Blaine with a question in his eyes. Blaine smiles broadly. “I would be honored to be your daddy, Gabe. Honored.”

Gabriel runs up to Kurt and Blaine who are still holding hands, and they envelop him in a joyful hug.

“We’re a family, Gabe. Forever.”


End file.
